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Summary This study examined the relationships between parentification, family relationship, political interest, and civic beliefs using a large sample of Taiwanese adolescents. Data were collected from 1648 junior and senior high school students in Taichung City, Taiwan. Parentification was hypothesized to positively affect family relationship, which in turn influences adolescents' political interest and civic beliefs. A series of structural equation models were constructed and tested. Implications of the findings for practice and policy-making are discussed. Findings Two dimensions of parentification, instrumental and emotional caregiving, were found to be positively associated with the parent–child relationship while perceived unfairness was negatively associated with the family relations. Family relationship was positively related to youth's civic beliefs as well as their political interests. Potential gender, age (junior high/senior high), and family (living with/not with both parents) effects were examined through multi-group comparisons. The model was robust with minor differences between gender, age, and family type subgroups. Applications Social workers should recognize the developmental benefits of parentification and utilize such experiences when working with adolescents. With cultural sensitivity, a healthy inter-dependence between youth and parents can be appreciated as a source of strength, which facilitates young people's civic responsibility and concern for public affairs beyond family.

This article uses a sample of 867 African American households to investigate differences in parenting practices and child outcomes by type of household. Results indicate that mothers provide similar levels of parenting regardless of family structure. Secondary caregivers, however, show a great deal of variation in quality of parenting. Fathers and grandmothers engage in the highest quality parenting, stepfathers the poorest, with other relatives falling in between. These differences in parenting do not explain family structure differences in child behavior problems. Results suggest that children do best when there are two caregivers in the household, although stepfathers are an exception to this rule. Child behavior problems are found to be no greater in either mother-grandmother or mother-relative families than in households with two biological parents. In terms of risk for child behavior problems, these family forms seem to be functionally equivalent.

Sexually transmitted infections disproportionately affect African Americans, particularly young women. The influence of a set of interrelated protective parenting processes—instrumental and emotional support, sexual risk communication, and encouragement of goals for employment or education—on emerging adult women was examined. Parenting was hypothesized to affect consistent condom use through its association with women's reports of power equity in their intimate relationships. Hypotheses were tested with 135 sexually active women 18 to 21 years of age living in rural southern communities. Structural equation modeling indicated that (a) parenting processes predicted women's self‐reported relationship power equity and consistent condom use and (b) relationship power equity predicted consistent condom use. Limited support emerged for a mediational role of relationship power equity in explaining the influence of parenting on consistent condom use. Parental involvement and young women's establishment of personal control in their intimate relationships are important goals for sexual risk reduction programs.

Past research has largely ignored the developmental changes within the child that account for the association between parenting and risk for delinquency. We used structural equation modeling and data from a longitudinal study of several hundred African‐American families to test the contentions of various theories regarding the sociocognitive and emotional factors that mediate the impact of parental behavior on a youth's risk for delinquency. Our findings largely supported the theories. The impact of monitoring/discipline was indirect through low self‐control and acceptance of deviant norms, whereas the effect of hostility/ rejection was indirect through low self‐control, hostile view of relationships, and acceptance of deviant norms. These two dimensions of parenting were no longer related either to affiliation with deviant peers or to conduct problems once the effects of these psychological characteristics were taken into account; the impact of these parenting practices was completely mediated by these four cognitive/affective variables. Contrary to expectation, however, these psychological factors did not mediate any of the relationship between caretaker involvement in antisocial behavior and child conduct problems.

A randomized prevention trial was conducted contrasting families who took part in the Strong African American Families Program (SAAF), a preventive intervention for rural African American mothers and their 11‐year‐olds, with control families. SAAF is based on a conceptual model positing that changes in intervention‐targeted parenting behaviors would enhance responsive‐supportive parent–child relationships and youths' self‐control, which protect rural African American youths from substance use and early sexual activity. Parenting variables included involvement‐vigilance, racial socialization, communication about sex, and clear expectations for alcohol use. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that intervention‐induced changes in parenting were linked with changes in responsive–supportive parent–child relationships and youth self‐control.

Given the dominant culture's emphasis upon being thin in the United States, we investigated the hypothesis that obesity is a childhood characteristic that has a disruptive effect upon the parenting of European American parents. Past research suggests, however, that the African American community is less concerned about issues of being overweight, and therefore child obesity was expected to have less impact upon the parenting practices of African American mothers and fathers. Therefore, we did not expect to find a relationship between quality of parenting and child's obesity for African American parents. These hypotheses were tested using two samples: the first was comprised of approximately 847 European American families, and second consisted of 867African American families. The findings supported the hypotheses. Our analyses showed the predicted negative association between child's weight and the parenting of European American mothers and fathers whereas there was no such relationship for African Americans parents. These results were largely consistent across four dimensions of parenting (warmth, monitoring, inductive reasoning, and problem solving), and held for both daughters and sons.

Abstract: This investigation of the effects of stressful life events on rural African American women's relationship well‐being, psychological functioning, and parenting included 361 married or long‐term cohabiting women. Associations among stressful events, socioeconomic status, perceived racial discrimination, coping strategies, psychological functioning, relationship well‐being, and parenting were tested. Stressful events were related directly to diminished relationship well‐being and heightened psychological distress and indirectly to compromised parenting. The results can inform research and intervention with African American women.